HelpLine

About a year ago, you helped me decide on an SLR camera, and I love it. I've taken a short camera class only to learn there's so much more to learn. Now I want a versatile lens, so I can carry just one lens with me. I'll need a zoom (150mm to 300mm?) as I'm sure to be far away when I want to take pictures of tennis players and capture action shots. I know from friends that the lens can't be too long or you can't take it into sporting events, and I need a lens with stabilization. Also, I teach first-grade speakers of other languages, and I enjoy taking their pictures, too.

Damian Greene

This Article Features Photo Zoom It's tempting for photographers who want to travel light (and economize) to seek out the "perfect" zoom lens that will tackle all of their favorite subjects. That's a tall order, though, because desirable lens specs for sports photography are different than those for portraiture, for…

Capturing talentQ) I want to start shooting photos of local bands and some other bigger acts that come through my area on a regular basis. I'm new to the D-SLR game and still learning all the things I can do with my camera. So I'm looking for some advice on what settings to use while in this type of situation. Of course, it's low-light and fast-moving action, along with light changing all the time. I'm in the market to buy a new lens specifically for this task, but would love to also use it in the field for the nature photography I'm starting to enjoy. I'll have access to the sides of the stage and the front of the stage on the calm side of the barrier, so I'd think that my shooting distances could range from about six to 25 feet.

Lindsay Miller

This Article Features Photo Zoom Photographing indoor performances can be tricky, but you can get good results if you use a fast lens and take a few practice shots to get your exposure settings right. When photographing comedian Louie Anderson, the hardest part was trying to keep the camera steady…

Q) A lot has been written about the amazing things that can be done with plug-ins. PCPhoto has given me a lot of great tips as I've been learning more and more about using layers in order to fine-tune my digital images. I've become fascinated by what I can do with filters when editing my images. So now I'm wondering about whether I even need any filters when I take my digital photographs.

Lindsay Miller

This Article Features Photo Zoom While software filters can do a remarkable job of emulating traditional filters, for some applications, there's no digital substitute. The soft waterfall effect seen here required a neutral-density (ND) filter to block enough light so that, shooting at my smallest aperture, I could get a…

In Windows XP, I have many subfolders defined for basic photo organization; however, I like to rearrange thumbnails in the folders as one would in a photo album. But I find that Windows often rearranges the thumbnails after I've spent a lot of time organizing them. I've tried turning off auto arrange, but it seems to happen anyway.

Lindsay Miller

This Article Features Photo Zoom Despite the powerful search features of operating systems, it's best to organize your photos using photo software. While operating systems offer ways to browse all files, photo software is made specifically for searching and sorting images and fine-tuned to minimize the time spent on this…

Q) I'm trying to figure out how the exposure compensation works on my digital SLR. It doesn't seem to affect the metering. Am I using it the right way, or is there a problem with my camera?

Lindsay Miller

This Article Features Photo Zoom • Inadequate Compensation • Learning To Polarize • Is It Stabilized? ------------- As I start this column, the first of the new year, I'd like to thank all of you who have submitted questions to HelpLine through the years—they have helped make this column a…

Q) I'm about to purchase a 28-75mm lens for use with my digital SLR. It has a 67mm diameter lens; however, I have a 77mm circular polarizer that I would like to use with the new lens. I also plan to purchase a 67-77mm step-up adapter so that I can use these larger filters on the smaller lens. My question is, how will the quality of the image be affected by not using the exact size filter required, i.e., a 67mm polarizer on a 67mm lens?

Lindsay Miller

This Article Features Photo Zoom • Step Up To A Larger Filter • Switching To A D-SLR • Gray Area ------------- Step Up To A Larger Filter Q) I'm about to purchase a 28-75mm lens for use with my digital SLR. It has a 67mm diameter lens; however, I have…